Canada attractions

Fans of cool urban art won’t want to miss Toronto’s Graffiti Alley. Officially named Rush Lane, located in downtown Toronto’s trendy Fashion District, it’s worth a detour for some colorful inspiration while browsing the boutiques. Some of the murals have been there for years, while others come and go.

Flanked by the snowy summits of the Pacific Ranges and covered in old-growth forest, the Callaghan Valley is a wonderfully wild playground for outdoor adventurists. The valley, which hosted the Nordic events of the 2010 Winter Olympics, is prime cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ski touring turf, and draws hikers in summer.

Spread across just over 0.7 acres (0.29 hectares), Kasugai Gardens is a Japanese garden built in 1987 in honor of the alliance between Kelowna and its Japanese sister city, Kasugai. Features include waterfalls, a koi pond, and a Japanese-style topiary.

Running along the south shore of the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia’s fertile Annapolis Valley produces some of Canada’s finest fruit and vegetables. Apple orchards and vineyards carpet the verdant valley, U-pick farms and farmers markets abound, and several historic sites recount the history of early Acadian settlers.

A legacy of the 1988 Winter Games,WinSport, Canada's Olympic Park, has hosted Olympic events in ski jumping, bobsled, and luge. These days, its professional-standard facilities are mostly used for recreational purposes, with visitors flocking here not only to ski, snowboard, and bobsled but also to try other activities, such as ziplining.

The beautiful Fathom Five National Marine Park in Lake Huron is a freshwater ecosystem that offers something for almost everyone: boating and birding, cliffs and rock pools, hiking trails, campsites, rare orchid species, and a whole lot of shipwrecks—24 to be exact. Nature and outdoor enthusiasts will love the marine and coastal landscape of the park, especially in the summer.

Montreal’s Barbie Expo is the world’s largest permanent exhibition of Barbie dolls. It displays more than 1,000 famous figurines, from historical Barbies to J.Lo and Beyonce versions. Inside an upscale shopping mall, the exhibit keeps “Barbie fever” alive, and it dresses her to the nines. Designers on display include Armani, Vera Wang, Christian Louboutin, Christian Dior, and more.

Straddling the St Lawrence River, the tree-covered hills of the Charlevoix region make up one of the most picturesque areas in the province of Quebec. In winter, Charlevoix is home to one of the best ski hills in the region while in summer and fall, hiking, biking, and whale watching take center stage.

The Johnson Geo Centre is an underground geological museum in Newfoundland with 12 different attractions. Learn the history of planet Earth (and space) through interactive exhibits, feature presentations, and tours. The ultra-modern building features a glass-walled elevator to help you get around.

For fantastic Detroit skyline views without stepping foot in Detroit—or even in the US, for that matter—head to the Windsor Riverfront. The 3.1-mile (5-kilometer) paved trail is a popular walking and biking path for locals and visitors to the Southern Ontario City, running along the Detroit River with parks along the way.

Aside from the falls themselves, the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark is one of Niagara Falls’ most popular family attractions. Fallsview features 16 waterslides—some as high as six stories—a wave pool, outdoor pool and sundeck, tots pool, adults-only hot tub, and much more. When you need to fuel up, there are great food options as well.

Quebec City visitors can enjoy summer-style fun all year round at the family-friendly, indoor Bora Parc waterpark. Just grab your swimsuit (even if it's snowing outside), and get ready to splash around. Hop into indoor pools, wind your way down waterslides, and hone your surfing skills on an indoor surf wave.

Miniature World contains more than 85 dioramas that depict historical, factual, and fantasy scenes in miniature scale. Watch tiny trains chugging along tracks; see a small working sawmill in action; observe a scaled-down circus in full swing; and inspect Lilliputian versions of Camelot and Dickensian London.

Located in the city of Edmonton, the Alberta Legislature Building is home to the province’s legislative assembly and is known for its striking architecture, the opportunity to watch live parliamentary debate, and free tours covering Alberta’s political history. The pretty grounds, spread over 57 acres (23 hectares), are reason enough to visit this Canadian landmark.

When the sun’s out, the bums are out at Hanlan’s Point Beach, home to Toronto’s favorite clothing-optional strip of sand (plus a suited-up area, too). Located on the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario, the beach is a short ferry ride from downtown Toronto. In the summer, it’s a rewarding day-trip destination, with good swimming and biking trails.

Banff’s Sundance Canyon is a moderate hiking and mountain biking trail within easy reach of town. The first couple of miles, open to both hikers and bikers, follow a paved path beside the Bow River. The biking trail ends at the paved path, but the hiking trail continues for a couple more miles uphill into the canyon.

Nicknamed the “Matterhorn of the Rockies,” Mt. Assiniboine is one of Canada’s most stunning peaks. This 11,870-foot (3,619-meter pyramidal peak towers over its neighbors and is the focal point of Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. Hikers, photographers, and mountain climbers from all over the world are drawn to the mountain’s beauty and solitude.

The Ontario Science Centre, northeast of Downtown Toronto, is a museum dedicated to educating the public about science, technology, and society. With a state-of-the-art planetarium, exhibits covering topics such as the limits of the human body, and activities specifically designed for children and young adults, the center is a popular destination for families.

In a national park known for its incredible lakes, little Johnson Lake is a local favorite that tends to be overlooked by travelers. However, with an easy, flat hike around its shore, pretty wildflowers in season, and temperatures warm enough to make swimming tempting on a summer’s day, it’s worth adding Johnson Lake to your itinerary.

Lake Louise Ski Resort offers some of North America’s best skiing—bar none. One of the largest ski resorts on the continent and routinely recognized as Canada’s best, if this impossibly scenic spot overlooking the glacial valley of Lake Louise doesn’t make you want to strap on those skis, nowhere will.

From stores to restaurants, hotels, and spas, you’ll find plenty to see and do in Halifax’s bustling Spring Garden district.

Set in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies, this non-profit sanctuary is home to 20-plus resident wolf dogs—the result of interbreeding between dogs and wolves. Tours of the sanctuary allow the public to learn about, view, and meet these fascinating hybrid creatures, many of whom were abandoned or surrendered by previous owners.

Tucked in among an old-growth forest of cedars and firs along the Cheakamus River is an unexpected sight: a cluster of graffiti-covered boxcars, the remnants of a train wreck from the 1950s. Easily accessible by a 1.4-mile (2.3-kilometer) out-and-back hiking trail, which crosses the river via a suspension bridge, the Whistler Train Wreck is a popular hiking destination year-round.

Three fun attractions are part of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Niagara Falls: The Odditorium, which displays quirky exhibits; the Ripley’s Moving Theater motion simulator ride; and Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks. It’s a fun-filled attraction to visit before or after you’ve seen the amazing falls, and is a popular place with both kids and adults.

Most people come to Alberta’s Banff National Park for the Rocky Mountains, but anyone seeking a fascinating slice of local history should check out Bankhead Ghost Town. Bankhead wasn’t always a ghost town: in its heyday it was a thriving coal-mining town. The mine closed in the 1920s and the residents, and many buildings, relocated.

This public square is named after the central branch of Vancouver Public Library, which sits on the plaza. Opened in 1995, the library—designed by eminent Canadian-Israeli architect Moshe Safdie—is one of Vancouver’s architectural highlights, with its spiraling Colosseum-esque form standing out amid the sea of glass office buildings.

The largest of British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, Salt Spring is a cherished getaway among Vancouverites looking to escape the city. The island’s beach and cliff-bordered coastline, rain forests, and peaks promise a tranquil, back-to-nature experience, while local restaurants and markets offer just-plucked produce from Salt Spring farms.

The MacBride Copperbelt Mining Museum dubs itself a healthy learning and outdoor fun destination that can entertain anybody between the ages of 2 and 102. The two-kilometer-long “Loki” train ride is the main attraction; however, the museum is a true lesson on both the rich mining history in Canada’s North and the colorful characters that contributed to the development of Yukon’s capital city, Whitehorse. The museum’s wilderness setting, interpretive walking trails and a large picnic pavilion, make it a great place to spend an entire afternoon. Kids will be kept busy, too, with fun activities that teach them to stake a mining claim, scavenger hunts through the museum grounds, and a playground.

The Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), the largest botanical garden in Canada, includes five distinct formal gardens on 400 display acres (162 hectares). Known for its colorful blooms, rock garden, rose garden and tea house, and indoor Mediterranean garden, the gardens are set on a total of 2,700 acres (1,100 hectares) of protected land in Burlington, Ontario, just outside Toronto.

Ottawa’s Little Italy is more than a local hub for authentic Italian food and hospitality. It’s also a diverse dining and shopping district filled with culinary offerings from Greece, India, and France, as well as traditional Canadian fare. The area’s mix of architecture, art, graffiti, and cuisine draws foodies and culture fans alike.